No Longer A Memory
by Illusor Meaneld
Summary: Sequel to: ..It's Good To Be Alive.. Sephiroth Vincent and Zack have settled into society, and everything should have been going fine, but someone is still holding a deadly grudge, and will stop at nothing to get his revenge.
1. Typical Morning

No Longer A Memory! – Chapter 1: Typical Morning

Chapter Summary: Vincent and Sephiroth… introduction.

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7. They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) amusements.

I DO however own, the revised conceptual designs for some clothing, demons, and monsters, and "Namir" completely belongs to me so no stealing…

A decent amount of time had passed since the fateful Fiasco in the mountains north-west of the 'Chocobo Farm'. Vincent and Sephiroth had settled comfortably into a two-bedroom Apartment. Originally their plan was simply to rent, but this decision was quickly revised when Sephiroth became a veritable tourist attraction, and Vincent's volatile demons were not easy on the walls and upholstery. And so to halt irate landlords Sephiroth and Vincent had pooled to purchase the entire Apartment Complex. Things had settled down after that. Sephiroth's presence was still intriguing, but those few who had opted to rent out one of his apartments learned very quickly he was not a landlord to cross. Eventually only the stalwart people remained and Sephiroth and Vincent were left in peace.

This was a typical morning. No matter how early Sephiroth's conciousness returned from the depths of sleep, Vincent always awoke shortly before him. By the time Sephiroth had fully awoken and risen to start his morning exercise and sword-practice, Vincent would have claimed the shower. Just as Sephiroth finished his regime he would wordlessly pass a fully-clothed, freshy showered Vincent into the still steamy and cinnamon scented bathroom for his own washing up. As the Ex-General emerged from the now vaguely Vanilla-scented room, Vincent would have finished his careful preparation of morning breakfast. The gunman preferred a full standard breakfast: orange juice, bacon, eggs, toast, and sometimes "egg-in-the-hole-of-the-toast", which always made Sephiroth smirk. Vincent would have quietly prepared his own meal, and have started his leisurely way through it when the silver-haired swordsman emerged from the shower. Sephiroth, on the other hand, preferred a much simpler breakfast. A quick raid through the well-stocked cupboards would provide him with his odd-combination of sugary-cereal and wheaty flakes, both in one bowl, add milk, and he would join the silent gunman at their table contentedly munching away. No conversation was needed, aside from the occasional 'pass the milk' or salt or other such table-talk. they said nothing. Their silence was interrupted once by the telephone. Sephiroth calmly picked it up, answering questions from the other end in politely terse replies, and in a few moments the comfortable quiet resumed. However this was a typical morning, and as such the peace never lasted. In a fairly predictable manner the front door slammed open half-way through the two figure's meal

"Mornin' Guys!" Zack bellowed enthusiastically, half-dancing through the living room to stand in the kitchen. "How are ya doin' today? Been having some nice father-son chats and all?" He paused for the briefest of moments, and was greeted only by the soft 'chink' of silver-ware on dishes, and the quiet munching of food. "So how goes the job hunt? You're like a busboy or something right?" He leaned over an empty chair to better gaze into Vincent's face.

"Mercenary." Vincent answered without looking up,

"Bodyguard." Sephiroth added, Mimicking Vincent's response.

"Whoa! So you guys like… kill people for a living now?" Zack cried in feigned horror.

"Don't have to… people take one look at me and run away." Sephiroth explained with a smirk. Then he gestured to Vincent, "With him it's more like eating people anyways." His turquoise gaze stayed on Zack even as he spoke.

"That's not funny." Zack frowned,

"Hey Vince… it's been a while since your last change right?" Sephiroth continued,

"hmm…" was the gunman's noncommittal agreement.

"Hey! That's not funny!" Zack growled,

"You only met Galian Beast… Chaos has so much more… skill." Sephiroth informed him with only the barest of smirks. Zackary paled, "No worries Zack… Just so long as you don't wash your hair… you have nothing to fear right?" Sephiroth added quickly, his eyes dancing with humor.

Zack fidgeted uncomfortably, "I… uh… I gotta use the restroom!" He snapped abruptly, whirling in place and striding down the hallway, slamming yet another door. The comfortable quiet descended once more, both Vincent and Sephiroth unhurriedly going through their food.

"I wonder when he'll figure out Cloud has a restroom at his place." Vincent muttered softly, a smile playing about his lips.

"I wouldn't bet on it… he's pretty dense about those things…" Sephiroth returned, chuckling under his breath.

Yes, it was quite the typical morning…

--------------------------

The rest of the day was never quite so predictable; Warriors for hire weren't exactly paid on a salary or hourly basis. And Vincent and Sephiroth made an unparalleled mercenary team. Occasionally Zack or Cloud or one of the others would come along as well, but more often than not it was just the two of them. As Sephiroth had told Zack, he usually played 'bodyguard' when such a situation was available. And true to his word his reputation was as useful as his skills. Few wanted to tangle with the Legendary General Sephiroth. Vincent, on the other hand, made an absolutely impeccable sniper and scout. His silent and almost surreal passage through any terrain made him invaluable. Today they had accepted the task of 'Monster Extermination'. Neither Zack nor Cloud preferred to join the two of them on these sorts of missions, both had painful memories of another very similar Venture. To Sephiroth and Vincent… these were the best kinds.

They both arrived at the small farm-like house at the same time, in a certain form of irony that amused Sephiroth to no end, they rode elegant black motorcycles. Nothing quite like the elaborate 'Fenrir' Cloud preferred, but sleek, maneuverable machines. Both vehicles settled to a quiet rumble as they parked, each sliding from their 'mount' in almost exactly the same movement. Sephiroth had always been fond of making an entrance, and while Vincent was quieter he seemed to have a similar sense of drama. Very early in their acquaintance they had made a deal. Both of them had hung their favored outfits in the back of the closets. And to identify themselves easily to one another even in the fields they had adopted matching ensembles. Long silver-grey coats completely open in the front, with elegant black long-sleeve shirts underneath. Dusky almost-black pants tucked into knee-high black leather boots, Cuffed with silver buckles and guards. The only difference between the two was the silver clawed-gauntlet Vincent wore over his demonic left hand. Black doe-skin gloves completed the attire for both. Vincent touched a hand to both of his guns as he walked, Death Penalty on his left hip, and Cerberus on his right. Sephiroth casually laid a hand on Masamune's sheath. The retrieval of his weapon had been rather interesting. He and Zack had both been shocked to discover what had befallen their precious blades. Zack was bemoaning the rusted and now useless 'grave-marker', and Sephiroth wondering if it would be possible to retrieve his famous sword from the depths of the Northern Crater. Vincent had then surprised everyone when he stated that the Masamune was not, in fact, lost somewhere in the Life-Stream, but that he had been keeping it in the Shinra Mansion. To this day he refused to explain why or how he'd managed that. Zack had insisted it was more proof of a paternal relationship.

Sephiroth stepped forward to knock on the door. He was usually the one to make all the arrangements for these jobs, which suited the quiet gunman just fine. The door was opened; instructions and information passed hands, as well as an estimate price for the task in question. It was all handled in a very calm business-like manner. They rarely had problems with people trying to short-change them anymore. After the first few had the misfortune to discover Sephiroth's personal policy towards that, the rest were more than content to pay whatever price had been agreed upon. In a matter of moments they were on their way, apparently there was a rather large nest of Adamantoises taking up residence in the nearby wilderness. The Duo's job was to either convince the beasts to move elsewhere, or dispose of them.

"Breed like rabbits these monsters…" Sephiroth commented as they hiked into the woods. The motorbikes were left behind at the farmhouse, no use running the risk of needing to replace them when both warriors were perfectly capable of walking.

"Keeps us in business." Vincent calmly stated. Sephiroth shrugged, smiling.

The trudge into the woods didn't last very long. Both warriors had keen instincts and good tracking skills. They hadn't gotten the reputations they'd had by being lightweights. In no time they'd managed to spot the tell-tale scrapes and broken branches on the nearby trees. It was a good-sized nest, two massive adults and four smaller beasts just leaving adolescence. As anticipated, they weren't particularly keen on relocating. Monsters usually weren't. But this didn't much trouble the two mercenaries. Not many people could carry a sword sharp enough to slice through adamantoise shell, nor gun shells which could penetrate the thick armor.

Even with their expertise Vincent found it prudent to use his famed 'limit-break', Choosing Galian Beast for the task. When the battle was finished and corpses steamed on the ground Sephiroth found himself facing the massive purple demon. It was not his first encounter with either Galian or the other demons Vincent housed, in fact he found these instances quite entertaining himself. With a smile he eyed the red-maned creature, who sized him up in return. But before the massive demon could make a move Sephiroth drew a small round object from a pouch hidden in his massive coat, Chucking the sphere through the trees with Mako-enhanced strength. In a blur of color Galian whirled giving chase to the ball, moments later returning with it between his massive fangs. He paused before Sephiroth his muzzle twisting into a smirk before crunching the object in his teeth. Unperturbed Sephiroth removed a dried bone with slivers of meat still on it and tossed that. The scene repeated for the next half-hour until Galian Beast tiredly surrendered the body to Vincent. Standing there the Gunman raised one raven eyebrow at his partner.

"What was that?"

Sephiroth shrugged, "I got the idea when Galian took off after that Deer… remember that?" Vincent nodded mutely, Sephiroth continued, "I had a theory that Galian isn't … _hungry_ per-se,.. I think he's just Bored!" Vincent's other brow raised,

"Bored?"

"Wouldn't you be?" the ex-general countered, Vincent delved into thought. It seemed to make some sense. "Speaking of demons and voices…" Sephiroth continued, as they made their way back to the farm. "JENOVA has been a real pest of late… I mean, I've always been able to hear her a little… but either she really doesn't like Chaos, or she's getting desperate…" Vincent tilted his head slightly as he gazed at the younger man.

"desperate?"

"Well, from what I understand… she's running out of options… No more clones and all that, No one to make them… But that's not the point, her voice is getting annoying!" Vincent had to chuckle,

"I've found that when my voices get particularly persistant… a little meditation helps."

"Meditation?" Sephiroth queeried, "I've never seen you do that!" Vincent coughed lightly,

"What do you think I did in that Coffin all those years?"

"I figured you slept…" Sephiroth shrugged,

"I …. Don't sleep anymore…"

Sephiroth gawked, "Well then what do you do at night?"

"Meditate."

"ALL night?"

"Sleeping makes Them harder to control."

"Yeah but… ALL NIGHT??"

Vincent shrugged, "It can be really close to actual sleep if you do it right… the only times I truly sleep are right after I've shifted, or when I'm actually unconscious." Sephiroth continued to stare, finally opting to just shake his head in disbelief,

"all night…"

"Would you like to try it?" Vincent countered in an effort to shift the conversation away from his sleeping habits or lack thereof. Sephiroth fiddled with the ends of his bangs unconsciously, a motion that indicated he was deep in thought.

"Sure… why not… what could it hurt right?" He smiled at his partner, who gave a ghost of a smile back.


	2. Snakes in the Cupboard

No Longer A Memory! – Chapter 2: Snakes in the Cupboard

Chapter Summary: Vincent and Sephiroth discover uninvited guests, both in their apartment and in their minds.

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7. They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) amusements.

I DO however own, the revised conceptual designs for some clothing, demons, and monsters, and "Namir" completely belongs to me so no stealing…

The Door to Sephiroth's and Vincent's apartment was surprisingly easy to jimmy open. Zack shrugged, shoving the cheap ID card back into his pocket.

"You remember the plan right?" He murmured in excited tones to his partner,

"I'm not gonna forget it that fast yo, I do this kinda thing for a livin' sometimes."

"Good!" Zack responded quickly, "Just keep an ear open for the latch," That said they both stepped inside, locking the door behind them, and set quickly to work.

--------------------------

Later that evening Sephiroth stepped up to the door of their apartment, sliding the key easily into the lock and slipping into the room, followed shortly by his raven-haired roommate.

"So we can go ahead and try this Meditation…… thing…." He hesitated, his sentence trailing off as his green eyes scanned the room.

"Visitors." Vincent said softly,

"Didn't steal anything…" Sephiroth whispered back,

"Zack?"

"90 chance…" affirmed the silver-haired swordsman, "I'll check the kitchen."

"Bathroom." Vincent offered, already moving in that direction.

A few moments later Sephiroth strode up to the door of the bathroom that Vincent was just leaving. The gunman raised an eyebrow at the 15 foot constrictor snake that was draped lazily over Sephiroth's shoulders, its tongue flicking the air with mild curiosity.

"It seems to like you." The gunman murmured,

"Seems to." Sephiroth agreed, "I think we might get a cage for it."

Vincent nodded mutely, taking a brief glance down at the bottle of Aftershave clutched in his silver-clawed hand. "Closet?"

"Closet." The Ex-General agreed with a smirk.

Soundlessly the two padded into Sephiroth's room, the Masamune and Cerberus were both drawn before Sephiroth counted down from three with his fingers. Then a gloved hand whipped out sliding the Closet door open with enough force to make it screech on the hinges. A pair of startled yelps pierced the quiet, and two pairs of blue eyes widened in horror. Vincent's gauntleted hand rose in one fluid movement and the aftershave was deployed. Fear turned to revulsion as the potent spray settled on the two interlopers.

"Yeeeaaaaaghh…" Zack choked, coughing and waving his hand before his nose,

"What IS that stuff?" Reno cried, wrapping both hands over his face.

"That's what we wanted to ask you." Sephiroth snorted, his impressive blade held ready at his side. Vincent pointed Cerberus wordlessly at the Black-haired swordsman's head,

"Whoa! Whoa! Don't kill me! It was a joke!" Zackary sputtered,

"How did you figure it out so fast?" Reno gawked, still trying to plug his nose unsuccessfully.

"We don't use aftershave…" Vincent explained.

"What? Then why do you have it?" Zack raised an eyebrow,

"Came with the set." Sephiroth said with a shrug. Reno was now eyeing the massive reptile Sephiroth carried,

"So you don't use that when you shave?" The Turk queried after a moment, Sephiroth smirked,

"Neither of us has to shave."

"WHOA! I KNEW you two were related!" Zack cried,

"You don't need to shave either Zack…" Sephiroth snorted with a roll of his eyes, "Nor does Cloud." Zack blinked several times.

"Really? Oh… well…."

"It's a Mako thing." Vincent muttered,

"What about Reno? I never see him shave!" Zack responded quickly, Reno's eyes widened, his gaze becoming strangely guarded. "He never even has a SHADOW!"

"That's because…" Sephiroth began,

"Don't you DARE yo! You promised!" The Turk snapped in sudden panic.

"…He's a natural blonde…"

"YOU PROMISED!" Reno bellowed,

"A Blonde?" Zack gaped,

"It's the earring." Sephiroth affirmed, "It has special properties." He smirked wickedly before turning his gaze to the irate 'redhead'.

"Earring?" Zack repeated blankly,

"You should remember, you were there when he got it!" Sephiroth chuckled, "What was that… your third mission with the Turks?"

"Fourth!" Reno growled,

"Third mission? …" Sephiroth reiterated,

"Oh… yeah I guess so," Zack shuffled his feet sheepishly, "It was a … Hey wait a minute! How did YOU know? You weren't even There!"

"I'm not blind Zack… And I DID have to review the Mission Report." Sephiroth sighed, Reno grumbled inarticulately under his breath,

"You said you wouldn't go spreading it about!" The Turk insisted,

"Spreading it to whom? Vincent? He doesn't care!" Sephiroth scoffed,

As if to prove the point Vincent shrugged, "Now back to the problem." He said holding up the can of tampered Aftershave, The two intruders shifted nervously,

"Yes, what should we do to repay you for all that." Sephiroth agreed. Vincent gave a slow smile before cocking back the hammers on his tri-barreled gun.

"WAIT!" Reno yelped, waving his hands before him wildly, "I got some great dirt yo!"

Sephiroth raised one silver brow, "I'm listening."

"I can get photos of when Cloud cross-dressed for Don Corneo."

A nearly identical lazy smirk spread on the two mercenary's faces. Zack started to chuckle and Reno, who felt the pressure lifting slid into his normal cocky slouch.

--------------------------

It was a short while later, after Sephiroth had calmly but insistently escorted their uninvited guests to the front door, that the duo seated themselves in their living room.

"Damage report?" Sephiroth asked, Vincent nodded,

"After-shaves combined together, Shampoo and conditioner combined and redistributed into their respective bottles. Hand soap super-glued to the counter, Ink added to the Loofahs, Ammonia in the bath oil, itching powder in the bath salt, heat-activated sticky-paint in the bathtub, hosing in the toilet reworked, light bulbs replaced with fakes, and the mirrors and door handles coated in Vaseline." The gunman listed stoically,

"Constrictor snake in the cereal cupboards, milk curdled with citrus juice, salt and sugar switched, thin coating of vegetable oil on the floor, Table centerpiece glued in place, poison-ivy added to flower vase, Sink piping loosened, soda switched for colored vinegar, microwave door unscrewed, baking soda added to the sugar cereals."

"Not bad." Vincent murmured,

"We'll have to be certain to return the favor." Sephiroth grinned, Vincent chuckled softly in response.

"For the moment, would you like to try the meditation?" Vincent prompted generously,

"Sure. How do we start?"

It was not as easy as it sounded, Sephiroth quickly discovered. He and Vincent sat across from each other on the living room floor, the gunman calmly repeating the instructions for meditation in an undertone, Sephiroth struggling to clear his mind. The breathing part had been easy, military discipline lent itself well to that. But his own voice made concentrating difficult.

_Come to me my son… join me… together we can rule the planet…_

Could she talk of nothing else? _Shut up lady! I'm trying to meditate._ Sephiroth thought back fiercely.

_The humans are weak and traitorous… they stole what was rightfully ours…_

_Technically I'm still human._ Sephiroth snorted,

_My son… My child… come to Mother… _

"Hey Vince" Sephiroth interrupted the gunman's mantra, "How do you get your voices to shut up while you meditate?"

"I ignore them." Came the simple reply.

"Oh." Sephiroth sighed and shut his eyes again, trying to focus on what Vincent was muttering.

_You are special My child… together we can ascend to godhood…_

Sephiroth breathed evenly, focusing on the simple feelings of cloth beneath his fingers where they rested on his knee, and the soothing even sound of Vincent's voice, the subtle shift in the air from the barely cracked open kitchen window.

_The Planet is ours for the taking… Nothing can stand in our way…_

Breathing in and out… in and out, Sephiroth could still smell the flowers he'd placed on the table, a gift from one of their tenants.

_These Puny humans are no match for us… Listen to me My child…_

Suddenly Sephiroth stiffened, he could have sworn he'd heard something else, but it had sounded distant and … muffled. Settling into his 'breathing' again this time he strained his mental ear.

_My Son… we are destined for greatness… we…_

_**And I thought hell was annoying…**_ Came the muted sneer,

Sephiroth's eyes snapped open, he blinked several times at Vincent who paused to regard him curiously,

_Disgusting creature… Go bother your pathetic human…_

_**What's the matter?... Forgotten me already?... And here I thought you liked me…**_ The deep baritone mocked,

Sephiroth's mouth dropped, "Uh….mmm…" He muttered softly, staring at Vincent, who looked back in mild confusion.

_This is NONE of your business DEMON!_ JENOVA shrieked,

Both Vincent and Sephiroth winced, green eyes met red ones and sudden shocked understanding passed between them.

_**Way too loud…**_

Sephiroth cringed at the off-tone sound of this particular voice. "Are you hearing that?" Vincent nodded in response, "So those are your voices?" Sephiroth queried,

"Indeed… I am assuming the loud one was JENOVA?" Sephiroth returned the nod,

"Which one is that grating one?"

"Death Gigas." Vincent muttered softly, Sephiroth gave a short gasp,

_**Well I remember you… you're nothing more than a rotting corpse!...**_ Chaos scorned,

"Chaos." Vincent explained.

_Foul tainted spirits should not speak… _

_**I like corpses…**_ chuckled a gravely rasping voice, _**I like to peel them apart… rend their flesh… watch the maggots feast on their despoiled remains…**_

"Hellmasker" Vincent added calmly,

"I see," Sephiroth responded, quickly reconciling himself to the newly shared ability, "They don't seem particularly fond of JENOVA do they?"

"Nor her of them." Vincent observed.

_Abominable creatures!... How Dare you!..._

_**You're one to talk…**_ Chaos laughed tauntingly,

_**Be quiet!... All of you…**_ Thrummed a vaguely effeminate voice.

"New one…" Vincent muttered in some surprise,

"She doesn't talk much right?" Sephiroth queried, cocking his head as he continued to listen to the exchanges,

_**I'm a He…**_ The whispery voice growled,

"Oh…" Vincent and Sephiroth both mumbled, glancing at each other sheepishly,

_Stay down you revolting cat!..._ JENOVA scoffed,

A low hiss rumbled through the two warrior's minds.

_Begone where you came from disgusting little… _

JENOVA's tirade was abruptly interrupted when Both Sephiroth and Vincent felt a strange presence reach through their minds faster than a striking snake, for a brief moment there was a feeling of intense stuffiness, followed by the strangest 'pop' sound and a whoosh, like air filling an empty space, yet all of this took place within their minds.

_Filthy Beast!... FILTHY BEAST!!..._ JENOVA Shrieked suddenly, _How DARE you!... I'll KILL you!!..._

Another swipe and the strange implosion feeling, and suddenly JENOVA's voice ceased, a vague sense of 'retreating' filtered through the minds of the two mercenaries.

"… Cat?" Sephiroth muttered after several moments of silence.

"I think… he … harmed JENOVA somehow…" Vincent muttered uncertainly,

"Your voices scare me Vince."

"Sometimes they worry me as well…"

"Does your fifth voice have a name?" Sephiroth inquired in an effort to break the strangely uncomfortable quiet.

"Not that sh…. He has given me."

_**Namir… I am Namir Shrikar… **_

--------------------------

((Many Thanks to **Corncob** for inspiring me with the inter-communing voices idea. XD))


	3. Matchmaker Sephiroth

No Longer A Memory! – Chapter 3: Matchmaker Sephiroth

Chapter Summary: Sephiroth and Tifa on a date…

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7. They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) amusements.

I DO however own, the revised conceptual designs for some clothing, demons, and monsters, and "Namir" completely belongs to me so no stealing…

He picked up the sponge for the fifth time that evening, scrubbing the already spotless stove absent-mindedly. His thoughts poured over the events of the afternoon, not having managed a satisfactory explanation for the unique occurrences. He paused, looking down at the counter he was working over, and the sponge that was nearly as clean and practically worn through by his repetitious strokes. _I really need to find something better to do with my hands… while I'm thinking… _The swordsman decided wryly.

More than an hour had passed since Sephiroth and Vincent's attempts to 'meditate'. Though neither of them had been able to coax any more from the gunman's fifth voice 'Namir', both had been relieved that JENOVA had not interrupted again either. They'd given up trying to attain that mental 'calm'. Sephiroth was far too intrigued, and unnerved though he'd never admit it, about their newfound mental 'sharing' to wipe his mind clean of questions. So he'd decided to busy himself with something productive while his mind turned over the possibilities.

He still had yet to come across an answer when the phone rang. Slender fingers removed the receiver from the wall, and a calm "Valentine Residence… may I help you?" broke the stillness of the room. The voice on the other end was not at all what he was expecting.

"Tifa?" He paused for several moments as she spoke, "No that's… not a problem, Sure I can manage that. … Tonight? … Alright… I'll be there." Hanging up the phone Sephiroth turned to see Vincent standing in the doorway, one eyebrow raised in silent curiosity. Sephiroth had to chuckle, so many of the gunman's other friends had missed the stoic man's subtle expressiveness. A detail that amused the Ex-General to no end.

"Tifa wishes to speak to me…" He explained with a shrug, "It shouldn't take too long… but don't wait up alright?"

Vincent replied with a smirk, turning around and disappearing into his own room with a dismissive wave.

Half an hour later found Sephiroth standing outside a particularly intriguing establishment. There were small groups of well dressed people, mostly couples walking in and out leisurely. The front was decorated in small paper lanterns and climbing vines elaborating the spiraling pillars. The front doors were made of a beautiful mahogany with brass inlay and handles. A smartly dressed man was greeting the visitors as they passed. Feeling slightly under-dressed Sephiroth stepped forward, presenting his name to the door man. He was welcomed genteelly to the "La Cave", quietly ushered inside and informed that Tifa was waiting for him. Sliding past the candle-lit tables the Silver-haired man found himself standing before a booth with a certain brunette martial artist smiling up at him. Taking the opposite seat with remarkable grace he returned the grin.

"Not exactly what I was expecting… Miss Lockheart." He murmured softly with another glance at his elegant surroundings.

"Please, Call me Tifa." She responded with a shy smile.

"Tifa then… You wished to speak to me?"

"You've done an amazing job…" She began quickly, ignoring the slowly rising silver eyebrow. "I wanted to thank you."

"I do well at a good number of things…" Sephiroth returned with an amused chuckle, "but exactly which of my accomplishments are you referring to?"

"Vincent of course!" Tifa returned, rolling her eyes at his boast. "I've never seen anyone else pull him so completely out of his shell before. It's really quite remarkable. He's engaged in all sorts of activities these days, and visits far more regularly than before."

Sephiroth held up a forestalling hand, "Miss Lockheart… Tifa… while I can fully appreciate your … gratitude, is this not just a bit… much perhaps, for a simple thanks?" He pointedly eyed their surroundings, the upper class restaurant with foreign waiters and cooks.

Tifa had the frame of mind to flush slightly, "I also wanted to talk…"

"About what?"

"Well… I guess I just don't know you very well. I mean, after all you've done and been through, I only really knew your clone right? It seems a little… unfair."

Sephiroth smiled patiently, "Alright… I suppose that works."

Tifa sighed in relief, twitching her lip back into a smile, "Good. Now then, can I call you 'Seph'?" the swordsman nodded, "So Seph, You and Vincent do mercenary work for a living correct?" at another affirmative indication, she continued. "How has that been working for you?"

"I admit it's very enjoyable work, and it pays pretty well all things considered. Allows both Vincent and myself to stay in shape and release any pent up frustrations at the same time. It's something we're both good at."

"I see…"

"May I have a turn Tifa?"

"Of course Seph, what would you like to know?"

"How has Zackary been settling with you and Cloud?"

Tifa flushed darkly, her gaze dropping quickly to her plate, she was saved from answering immediately by their waiter who stopped by to collect their orders. The "La Cave" was rather famous for its steaks, a fact which Sephiroth did not miss, and took full advantage of. After the waiter disappeared, and while they waited for their food, the small-talk continued, Sephiroth responded politely, not quite certain exactly why Tifa seemed so flustered, and when the meal came it really was quite delicious, Living up to the reputation it had earned for it's steaks. Once they had finished the Idle conversation picked up where it had left off, Though Sephiroth was quickly becoming suspicious after Tifa dodged the fifth question having to do with Cloud.

"You know, … this isn't going to work." Sephiroth interrupted her stammering.

"What?" Tifa jolted slightly in her seat, "What's not going to work?"

"This… Cloud is just a little dense to be Jealous Tifa."

Her eyes widened in shock before her gaze dropped with her hands to her lap. "Am I that obvious?" she asked in a small voice,

"I know what to look for." He murmered with a smile,

"Oh…" Tifa met his gaze once more, "But I really am grateful for what you've done with Vincent!"

"Of course…" Sephiroth allowed patiently, "And I'm not mad that you're doing this… Cloud is awful clueless."

"Sorry." Tifa muttered sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it." Sephiroth chuckled, "Now … there are better ways to catch his attention."

Tifa's eyebrow raised, "What would you suggest?"

"Firstly, Cloud is just about as dense as any young man. You can't expect him to notice you by hinting, even if it's incredibly blatant. Just go out and say it!"

"But I HAVE said it!" Tifa protested in exasperation.

"Beat it into him." The swordsman continued.

"That will work?"

"It worked when he was a Trooper…" the general responded with a shrug. "Just don't aim for his face, that tends to make him MORE addled instead of less-so."

"mmmm" the brunette responded softly, mulling over the information.

"Be attentive too, more so than usual. He'll probably enjoy a good listener, and be insistent with date suggestions. Don't let him wheedle out for anything if you can help it. Pick HIM up if you need to. That works better on cold-feet than any other cure devised."

"Wait… wait…" Tifa interrupted suddenly, "How do YOU know all of this? You don't date do you?"

Sephiroth laughed aloud. "No, no… but you can't be the GENERAL of an entire army without having to listen to all the young men. You wouldn't want them going into a battle with their minds on the girls they left behind would you? I had to be able to multitask just about everything during the wars."

"Multitask?" the martial artist repeated curiously,

"I know something about nearly any subject you could name."

"ANY subject?" Tifa inquired, her eyes filling with mischief.

Sephiroth smirked, leaning forward to rest his chin on his entwined fingers, "Try me."

"Alright then…" She paused for the barest of moments, "Sewing?"

Sephiroth snorted, "Oh Please… we were in a war! It's not like we had maids running around to sew up our uniforms! Give me some credit!"

"Sorry… you're right." Tifa relented, laughing, "Cooking?"

"I do lunch, Vincent does dinner."

"Broken Bones?"

"Emergency surgeons can't be everywhere… I even set one of my own in the middle of a siege once."

"Dang… I thought that one had just been a rumor…"

"Nope…" Sephiroth chuckled, "Next?"

"Interior decorating?"

"You think I'd let Shinra put furniture in my office?"

Tifa paused to consider the colors and styles used in the majority of the Shinra tower, "Point…" she admitted, "Makeup?"

"I'm assuming you're discounting the army slap-dash?" Tifa nodded with a snicker, and Sephiroth returned a grin. "Well I had to do stage makeup for a lot of Shinra's promotional pieces. It wasn't too hard to learn to do it myself… faster that way."

"Okay okay…" Tifa's smiled wickedly, "I think I've got one… Birthing! Have you ever had to stand by while a Mother was giving birth?"

"Ha!" Sephiroth half-shouted, startling several other nearby tables, "Stand by? I delivered THREE!"

"WHAT?" Tifa yelped, half-rising from her seat.

Sephiroth shrugged, still grinning, "Well we were occupying the town, and the local doctor had been killed by shrapnel three months back, I was the only one available with any qualifications."

The young woman gaped at him for several long moments before slowly sinking back into her seat, "Wow… I can't believe it… three?"

"Three." 

"Okay, okay… I give up!" Tifa raised her hands in surrender, "You've done everything. So what am I supposed to do to get Cloud to notice me?"

Sephiroth sat back, his eyes narrowing in thought, "By the way, where is Cloud right now?"

"Oh I asked Zack to keep him occupied." She responded dismissively.

"Wait… Zack?" Sephiroth raised one eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yeah…" Tifa frowned, "why? What's wrong?"

Sephiroth didn't answer, instead his gaze traveled slowly around the room, settling on a mirror behind the bar. "Tifa?"

"Yeah?" she hesitated brows drawn in suspicion.

"Can I borrow your cup of coffee?" He gestured to the half-full, and still steaming mug resting before the young woman.

"Um…"

But before she could respond, Sephiroth had snatched up the cup and emptied it's contents over the plant divider beside him with a practiced toss. Tifa half stood in shock arms reaching in futility for her now empty cup.

"AAAAAAUUUUGHH!!" Two male voices cried out in unison, as the two occupants of the booth adjacent sprung up, attempting to fling the hot coffee from their clothing.

"Good evening Zack." Sephiroth responded evenly as the raven-haired man glared at him.

"CLOUD???" Tifa half-yelped, staring at the sheepish and very red spikey-haired blonde.

Zack realized the trouble he would no doubt be in momentarily, "RUN CLOUD!! Run For your LIFE!!" He cried, already sprinting for the door, ignoring the protests of the other guests and waiters.

"CLOUD!!!" Tifa growled, the anger in her voice audibly rising. Cloud decided to take his friend's advice. Tifa sighed dejectedly, watching her should-be boy friend's undignified dash towards the door. "This ruins everything" She murmured in a choked voice,

"Actually not…" Sephiroth returned reassuringly, "If anything I think your chances just went up."

Tifa raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "How??"

"He's dense Tifa… but not blind or deaf. He KNOWS you came here to make him jealous, and it'll take him at least a weak to figure out why, but he WILL figure it out." He chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head at the image of the two young men booking it to the exit. "Come on, I'll take you home. And I'll send you an e-mail of pointers in the morning. 'Matchmaker Sephiroth'… I'll show you I AM good at everything."


	4. Friday, Two ' O Clock

No Longer A Memory! – Chapter 4: Friday, Two 'O Clock

Chapter Summary: Mysterious investigations, a forceful request, and a demanding guest…

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7. They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) amusements.

I DO however own, the revised conceptual designs for some clothing, demons, and monsters, and "Namir" completely belongs to me so no stealing…

Fingers drummed away on the keyboard, the dusty room illuminated by the white glow of a single computer monitor, and a dim flickering light, no doubt on it's last legs, which hung precariously from a single cord on the ceiling. A single man sat hunched over the computer, though his frame was larger than average, his skin was taught against his bones, his muscles neglected. Folders and files were flickering across the screen as quickly as channels on a television under an impatient teenager's guidance. The man was obviously ill at ease.

A smaller gangly figure sat under the aged lamp near his agitated colleague, pouring over papers which piled before him on a small table that creaked warningly. "I wish I knew what I was looking for…" the younger man murmured unhappily, "This all so confusing."

"Just try to focus, I don't know how long we can get away with 'breaking and entering'… someone is bound to notice eventually."

The younger man shuffled through files idly, going through the motions of searching, he wanted to appear to be helping his more irritable partner, but felt more than a little out-of-his league trying to understand the cryptic writing.

"Some of these files keep referencing something called a … 'chaos project'. But I'm not finding anything." The large man grumbled.

"Chaos project…" The youth mused with sudden interest, "I think I saw a file with that title!"

His partner turned in his seat, rising to stand next to the smaller figure. He shuffled anxiously through the files, sudden doubts filling his hands with nervousness, he genuinely wanted to help his companion, but he feared the consequences had he been mistaken on the title. He secretly wished to himself that he hadn't spoken up until he was sure he actually HAD seen 'chaos project'. The older man shifted, causing his gangly partner to flinch, the tension was almost palpable as papers rustled and files were sorted hastily.

"Here it is!" The youth squeaked, but the file was out of his hands before he could finish. A smile slowly spread across the large man's face, and the young man relaxed with a sigh, he had done well apparently. After a pause he regained enough confidence to voice a question that had been turning over in his mind for a good portion of the evening. "I don't understand… what's so special about these 'demons'. I mean… there are lots of monsters around, some a lot more powerful than these things right? And surely a lot easier to find…"

The older man sighed, glaring condescendingly at his assistant. "You DON'T understand… Demons are not creatures imbued with magical power, they're not even alive in the same way as the rest of us. Just as materia is condensed from the knowledge of those who have passed on before us, so too do the emotions and essence of those who have gone before filter from the life-stream, distilling into something tangible. Demons are formed from the strongest of these emotions … their potential power is… undefined."

The younger companion sighed, wondering to himself if this wasn't just another wild goose chase. They hadn't found any good leads since they had learned from the Shinra database that Professor Hojo had also worked with 'demon theory'.

"It only mentions one subject… I wonder…" the old man mused aloud.

"There was an alphabetized filing cabinet in the other room" His assistant supplied.

Without another word the broad shouldered man shoved roughly past his subordinate, moving quickly to the cabinet in question. Quickly finding the correct section, he thumbed through the folders until he found the name he was looking for. He drew forth the aged manila folder in anticipation, opening it eagerly, and stared at it's lack of contents. "Cursed Cetra!" He screamed in frustration, slamming the empty folder to the ground.

The youth's eyes followed it to the floor, his gaze alighting on the aged tag. "V. Valentine…" He murmured aloud to himself in curiosity.

--------------------------

The deadbolt turned almost silently in its lock, the door sliding open to allow the silvery moonlight to gleam across the wood and tile floors of the apartment, shining on the metallic hair of the entering figure.

"I'm hom…." Sephiroth choked off the ending of his statement gazing up in astonishment at the scene before him. He'd just returned from a long and rather tedious bodyguard assignment, the employer had only requested one person, and naturally he had taken the job. His mind flickered over several possibilities as to the reasons behind his current predicament. Had Vincent gotten a short job while he was gone? It wasn't uncommon in the least… they both worked when it was available, but… somehow that didn't quite fit. "Um… well… hello there…" Sephiroth stammered trying not to gawk at the figure before him. He'd never realized just how BIG Death Gigas was, but seeing the demon crouched uncomfortably, it's massive shoulders bowing to avoid the ceiling, and it's smooth face turning in Sephiroth's direction, he felt a chill run down his spine at it's mass.

Death Gigas had no facial features other than its eyes, which were a milky white. It seemed to be able to see, but Sephiroth had only heard its voice in his head, A fact that didn't bode well for attempting to pacify the great beast. "So… um… Death Gigas…" Sephiroth pondered quickly, "You look… a bit cramped, everything alright?" He fidgeted as he gazed sharply around the room. Nothing much seemed to be out of place, but he didn't see that the demon could possibly fit through any of the doors or windows, unless they were willing to destroy the apartment, it wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon. "Do you need anything in particular? You can sit down if you like." Sephiroth gestured towards the sofa, but there was no response from the large demon. Frowning in mild confusion Sephiroth stared up at the creature filling their small living room. "Why don't I just come back a little later then?" He offered, turning back towards the door. The response was immediate, the floor grunted under the demon's shifting weight, the strange metal pieces and shrapnel that made up a portion of its strangely constructed upper-torso grated across the ceiling, digging large chunks of staccato and plaster to rain down on the wooden floor and rugs. Small flickers of electricity raced along the metal in its body, lighting the room sporadically. It reached towards the rather startled Ex-General menacingly. Sephiroth kicked the door shut, still standing inside the room. "I can stay…" He said quickly. And just like that Death Gigas settled back to the floor. It's unblinking gaze on the swordsman.

--------------------------

Tifa slid her leather gloves over her hands with practiced ease, wiggling her fingers until they were as snug as a second skin. She knew Cloud was avoiding her, and she was confident now that she knew what to do about it.

Cloud stared around him, he knew Tifa was looking for him, and having failed to jimmy open the bathroom window, which no doubt had something to do with the martial artist as well, he was at an impasse. He was quickly running out of things he could plausibly be doing, he wasn't going to be able to stall much longer before Tifa figured out what he was up to. Heaving a sigh as his eyes swept the room one last time, he'd taken a shower, shaved, washed his hands twice, even cleaned the room till it was spotless, There were no more excuses left… resting a hand on the handle with some misgivings, he slowly slid the door open, he was greeted immediately by the brunette's annoyed face.

"Tifa…" He began slowly rubbing at the back of his head, "I guess we should…" WHAM! Cloud doubled over in shock and pain as Tifa's fist collided solidly with his gut.

"Yes we need to talk Cloud." Tifa finished with a tight smile, a leg sweep took the blonde off his feet. Without any further explanation Tifa hoisted Cloud by one arm and launched him down the hall, dropping him with another punch before he'd even fully hit the ground. Cloud gasped, more in shock than pain as he found his back pressed against the linen closet, effectively cornered by the stern woman towering over him. "Cloud?"

"Yes?" He almost squeaked, terrified by the drastic change in his childhood friend.

"Cloud, I like you, I want us to be more than friends!"

Cloud nodded numbly, anything to keep Tifa from going off on him again, the brunette smiled,

"I want you to ask me out Cloud."

"Uh… what?" Cloud began to frown, but his confusion evaporated when a fist solidly collided with his stomach once more, "YES.. .Yes… okay!" He yelped,

"Within the week Cloud… what day?" Tifa persisted, a slight smile starting to curve her lips,

"Uh… are you available Friday?" The blonde asked warily,

"Friday works for me… what time?"

"Two!" Cloud half-shouted, still cringing.

Tifa grinned broadly now, "Okay Cloud, I'll see you at Two 'O Clock on Friday," A quick swipe at his arm had Cloud yelping and ducking. Tifa winked as a parting shot before disappearing

Cloud sat in stunned amazement for several long moments after the sound of her footsteps had completely faded down the hall. "What…. What just happened?" He mumbled aloud,

The towel cupboard beside the bathroom suddenly popped open, "You just asked Tifa out!" Zack whooped as he scrambled from his cramped hiding place,

"I WHAT?" Cloud stared at his friend incredulously, somehow not surprised that the black-haired swordsman had hidden the moment a woman's fury had been in evidence.

"Yeah, I totally wouldn't back out on this one if I were you man!" Zack winked broadly, "You've got a date with a psychopath!"

Cloud was suddenly experiencing mixed feelings about his new romantic endeavors.

--------------------------

Sephiroth glared at Death Gigas in exasperation. Half an hour of prodding had failed to produce any sort of response from the beast, it simply indicated he couldn't leave, but other than that remained statue-still.

"I can cook up some food…" Sephiroth mumbled, growing more and more annoyed, and slightly desperate to induce SOME change. "Can you even eat food?" He wondered aloud as he remembered the demon lacked a mouth… or a nose for that matter. "We can play a game?" He reconsidered that one quickly as he doubted the monster would allow him to disappear into a different room even for a moment. "Would you like me to dance?" He experimented with a quick twirl and tap step, spreading his arms wide and raising an eyebrow at the end, waiting for a reaction that never came. "I could strip…" He prodded, taking only a moment to remove his jacket and shirt in practiced motions. When this too was met with a stoic stare he sighed in relief, he wasn't certain he would have enjoyed the results if Death Gigas had actually wanted MORE of that one. "I suppose I could sing… I doubt I'm very good… or that you'd want to hear it…" Sephiroth hummed experimentally, his face slowly settling into a glare when Death Gigas simply watched, "I know you want SOMETHING!" the ex-general growled, "Do you want a pencil and paper? Perhaps we could play Pictionary and YOU could tell ME?" the demon's head slowly tilted to one side, but nothing else. Throwing up his hands in exasperation Sephiroth paced angrily before the great beast. "What do you WANT?" he snarled, throwing furious glares at his room mate

It was at about that moment that Death Gigas seemed to relax, had it had the capability of normal breath or expressions Sephiroth was sure it would have sighed. The massive form shrank, melting into itself and turning slowly black as clothing poured across the twisted skin and metal and features shifted into place instead of the demon's mask. After a moment that seemed far too long to the irate ex-general, Vincent stood exhaling in relief where Death Gigas had once sat, stretching as though his muscles were cramped from long disuse.

"FINALLY!" Sephiroth breathed, slumping into the couch in a motion that was far more expected of Zack. "What was WRONG with him?" Green eyes flashed to meet red ones.

"… He was bored…" Vincent mumbled,

"bored?" Sephiroth gaped, "What did he want?"

"Entertainment… you provided nicely…" Vincent's eyes flickered away, refusing to meet the swordsman's gaze again.

Sephiroth groaned, "Wonderful… and I thought ZACK was dangerous when unoccupied."

Vincent half-turned ducking away from the silver-haired man's gaze, suddenly Sephiroth's eyes snapped up, finally recognizing the movement.

"Hey Vince, it's not your fault. Don't fret! I'll manage… it's just my pride that's wounded okay?" He smirked broadly, "You can just make breakfast for me tomorrow, no harm done."

Vincent slowly glanced back, and after a short pause he nodded silently.

"Next time give me a phone call or something ahead of time alright? So I'll be more prepared." Sephiroth grinned when this was met with another nod. "Well then I'll see you in the morning Vincent. I'll be expecting Bacon!"


	5. Of Dates and Demons

No Longer A Memory! – Chapter 5: Of Dates and Demons

Chapter Summary: Several parties prepare for ominous undertakings…

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7. They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) amusements.

I DO however own, the revised conceptual designs for some clothing, demons, and monsters, and "Namir" completely belongs to me so no stealing…

Night had fallen, crisp and cold over the small town of Nibelheim. Deep in the basements of the mansion, two figures wandered through the catacombs of abandoned laboratories, and projects. The larger man was in the lead, ignoring the thick dust that kicked up behind him as he walked. His path was lit only by the residual mako glow in the tanks of neglected experiments. The specimen inside were all long dead, but the substance continued to illuminate the room stubbornly. The shuffling of paper echoed off the walls, even that small sound seeming deafening in the forlorn stillness.

"Professor…" the assistant whispered, it felt oppressive to be wandering in a room that had been shunned for so long.

"This equipment is the most advanced I have ever seen for demon experimentations." The older man explained, ignoring his colleague's discomfort. "The test subjects here are all monsters, the attempt was made to fuse them with demonic spirits." One bony hand gestured to the tanks and their eerie inhabitants. Their features distorted until they were almost unrecognizable from their original species. They all had one thing in common however… each and every monstrous form and face was contorted in pain and rage, frozen forever in the last of their death-throws. The papers rustled again, causing the smaller man to jolt. "All of the specimens died, some instantaneously, and others driven insane by their demons." The younger man shivered, and finally his partner paused, the professor's glasses gleaming strangely in the green light. "You aren't afraid are you Ethan?" The boy shook his head vehemently, but his eyes darted nervously to the macabre corpses. the older man chuckled, "There is only report of one… human… specimen, using this equipment at least."

"That would be Mr. 'V. Valentine' right?" Ethan piped up, still eying their surroundings warily.

"That's right…" His cohort agreed placidly, "whoever this 'Valentine' is, he's the only human subject… and also… the only SUCCESS!" young Ethan gasped,

"The ONLY success sir?"

"The only one… I believe it may be the element of humanity, perhaps homo-sapiens can better fuse with demons, perhaps because demons are created from mostly human emotion…"

"But why weren't there other human experiments? Professor Hojo has never shown any qualms with testing on humans before…" Ethan interjected, there was more paper sifting.

"According to his notes, Professor Hojo had passed the project onto one 'Dr. Lucretia Crescent'. It was she who finished the 'Chaos Project'." Both men fell deep into thought, still strolling absently through the skeletal labs.

"Dr. Crescent died shortly after the culmination of the Chaos Project didn't she?"

"Yes, … the records indicate she perished during the JENOVA Project…"

"Then why didn't Hojo continue her work?" The younger man persisted, the larger man snorted sardonically.

"Hojo never continued any work but his own." Again silence fell… the older scientist pausing to consider one of the many tanks and it's gruesome tenant. "I'm going to try it…" He whispered fervently, his face breaking into an eager grin. "I will continue the demon sciences!"

"Where are you going to get human subjects? It is OBVIOUS the monsters failed!"

"I would never bestow such power on a random stranger… it would be too, … unpredictable. That was one lesson Hojo never learned."

"But…. Surely… you don't mean to try it on yourself?" Ethan squeaked in alarm, His colleague turned to him slowly,

"But of course… The evidence is all here! Demon experiments were successful with humans! It will work!"

"ONE human! You said it was just one! What if we're missing something?" Ethan began shuffling frantically through his own papers, His partner laughed,

"It will work Ethan! Now come help me, I need to prepare the equipment." His chuckling continued to echo down the halls, unheard by the monsters that, even in death, stood eternal vigil over the forsaken labs.

--------------------------

The next morning dawned bright and cheery; Vincent was up and showered first as usual, with Sephiroth following closely after. However, as per their agreement, Vincent cooked more than just his own breakfast before the Ex-General strode into the room, the strong scent of vanilla wafting after him. The silver-haired man paused upon reaching the table, raising one eyebrow marginally. His roommate, uncertain as to the quantities of the promised bacon Sephiroth might wish to devour, had taken it on himself to provide more than enough variety. There were eggs, scrambled, fried, and turned into omelets…. The bacon was in strips, in bits, in evenly diced and nearly perfect squares. Three kinds of juice sat in pitchers on the table, and toast in four kinds of bread, both buttered and not.

"… Vincent…"

"Did I miss something?" The gunman asked, looking up from his own plate.

"… no… but … you could have just asked me what I wanted." Unable to help himself Sephiroth's face broke into a grin. "Don't worry about it… apology accepted." He chuckled, sitting himself down and helping himself to a generous portion of the food. Vincent's crimson gaze fell down to his plate, the silence they both preferred fell quickly over the room. The swordsman made certain that he had at least a portion of everything Vincent had made, it may not all have been his favorite but he was not about to let his roommate feel guilty for anything. To his surprise, everything was tasty! His green eyes widened momentarily before he began digging in with a little more gusto. While he chewed he gazed at Vincent thoughtfully, Zack had been a terrible cook… even his mere proximity to cooking instruments seemed to spell out disaster… the boy could BURN Jell-O… Sephiroth shook his head at the memory, and his gaze landed on the gunman's left arm. It had become a rule that Vincent was not to wear his now-silver gauntlet around the house, after it had put irreparable gouges in their previous dining table. So for the moment his blue-grey fore arm with fur, scales, and claws, rested gently against the polished wood. Sephiroth's reminiscing drifted back to the moment he had first seen it, Vincent had been badly wounded, but the arm had remained almost untouched under it's claw-gauntlet. Just above the strange discolored skin there had been a deep gash where the metal had bitten into the flesh… Sephiroth froze, a bite of omelet half-way to his mouth as he frowned. He knew the scar Vincent had gotten from his ordeal in the mountains when they had met, he had cleaned that particular wound himself. The mark had been precisely an inch above where the skin turned blue-grey…. And yet… as the Ex-General stared now, the demonic flesh was just high enough on Vincent's arm to brush against the pale, puckered mark.

"Vincent…" Sephiroth murmured, setting his fork down on his plate quietly. The gunman looked up blinking once as their eyes met. Sephiroth's gaze traveled back to the discolored arm. "That… 'taint', as you call it…" Red eyes glanced down, and a guarded expression dropped over Vincent's already subtle face.

"It's nothing." The gunman tried to assure him, quickly pulling his arm back. The motion ceased when Sephiroth dove forward, grabbing Vincent's demonic wrist in his hand and pulling it back out to view.

"Vin, this scar here…" Sephiroth ran one finger across a ragged criss-crossing scar that circled completely around the gunman's arm, positioned about two inches from the wrist. "This is where the hand was grafted… isn't it?"

"…"

"Your taint is spreading… HAS been spreading…" Vincent refused to meet his gaze. "Is this why your demons have been harder for you to control? They've been getting out more easily, and more frequently…"

"… Yes, I'm dangerous… If you want me to leave I…"

"Vincent… is there any way to reverse it? Or at least stop the progress?" Sephiroth interrupted smoothly,

"… Not that I have found."

"We could check Hojo's files… Or Lucretia's, they were the ones who did this right?"

Suddenly Vincent paused, his gaze shifting away from the silver-haired man, still stretched across the table to grab his hand. "There… might be … someone we can talk to…"

"What? …" Sephiroth frowned, "That's not right… it should be files, everyone who worked on that project is dead. I'm sure you know more than anyone else alive anyways."

The gunman's lip quirked, "Technically, everyone died yes. But there's still someone… I think we should go talk to her… I THINK she'll be happy to meet you."

Frowning the swordsman finally released the arm, settling back into his own seat. "Her?... Hmmmm…" He resumed his meal, deep in thought as he gazed absently at the scars that patterned the darkened limb. He couldn't think of anyone who might fit the description his roommate had given him, but it was certainly an interesting consideration.

"Just a warning…" Vincent murmured, his eyes returned to his plate, Sephiroth's eyebrow quirked as he noticed the tell-tale twitch in his roommate's lip that was the gunman's version of a smile. "She's faster with her swords than you…"

Sephiroth blinked once, "Faster than me?"

Vincent nodded, "But to be fair… you hit harder…" again the lip twitch,

Sephiroth nodded and returned to his own food with a broad grin, he was intensely curious now, no one had been FASTER than him before, and he discovered he was excited, even eager! And judging by the intensely amused expression on Vincent's face, the gunman had known he would be.

--------------------------

Cloud sighed as he stared at his own reflection in the clear, sweet-smelling water. The yellow and white flower petals still drifted across its mirror surface, even with his bare feet dangling in the cool liquid. Zack sat next to him, his pants also rolled up and his legs immersed in Aeris' pool. But the black-haired swordsman was sprawled across the ground with his arms behind his head, cheerfully gazing at the clouds through the massive holes in the ceiling.

"Y'know… I fell through that ceiling once…" Zack muttered in peaceful reminiscing,

"Me too…" Cloud smiled back, Zack laughed,

"I always knew I was a good influence on ya Fluffy…"

"It's Cloud…" The blonde responded automatically, though the strange nicknames had ceased to bother him.

"Ya know… I had this weird dream about this place once… it was like it is now, and all you guys were there… but I'd never even met most of you yet. And Aeris was there too… it was a really weird dream. I thought at the time that I'd just eaten under-ripe fruit again."

"I think I saw you too Zack…" Cloud returned, thinking back to when he'd defeated Seph…. No… JENOVA a second time.

"My girlfriend ROCKS!"

Cloud chuckled in return, "Aeris is certainly amazing…" He shifted in place again as he gazed at the sparkling water… "Hey Zack…"

"Hmmm?"

"What should I do about Friday?"

"Friday?" The ex-SOLDIER mumbled dazedly, his eyes had drifted shut as he'd sat basking in the pleasant warmth.

"My date with Tifa?"

Zack's glowing blue eyes snapped open. "Oh YEAH!!" He whooped, and tossed himself into a sitting position. "Have you thought about where you're gonna take her?" Zack grinned enthusiastically.

"Well…. It's not that easy, I don't want it to just be… y'know… standard…" Cloud shrugged, staring at his feet through the water's distortion.

Zack snorted, "Of COURSE not! Ya gotta go somewhere SPECIAL!!"

The blonde finally raised his eyes, "But WHERE?"

"I think I got a couple ideas…" Zack chuckled, he tapped his chin as he thought, his gaze suddenly far away. "Don't suppose you can take it outta town can ya spikey?" Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud knocking on the permanently open door.

"Hope I ain't interrupting nothin' yo!" A familiar voice called as the sound of footsteps signified his entry.

"Hey! Reno!!" Zack called waving from his position beside Cloud, "What brings you out to the slums man?"

The redhead raised an eyebrow before folding his arms, and settling into his lopsided slouch. "Ya really forgot didn't ya? We were supposed to play Triple Triad today Yo!"

Zack blinked a few times and then slapped his forehead with his palm, "Oh YEAH! The tournament! I totally forgot!" Reno snorted, but Zack continued smoothly and eagerly, "But C'mon Red, this is important too! Cloud's gotta date with a PSYCHOPATH!!"

Reno's eyes widened slightly, "You're dating Sephiroth? Whoa! I didn't know you swung that way Cloud! Guess I can't say I'm surprised though…"

Zack waved his arms frantically, "NO, No!! He's dating TIFA!"

"Oh!" the red-head returned, "Tifa… well it's about TIME Cloud!" then he paused, his face twisting into a frown, "But why'd ya call her a psycho yo?"

"She totally beat him up! Chained him to a wall and forced him to ask her out!" Zack continued excitedly.

Reno snickered, "Didn't know you were into THAT either! Kinky!"

"No… it wasn't like that! Zack's exaggerating!!... She was just… very insistent…" Cloud rushed to explain, trying to salvage some small portion of his reputation.

"Anyways, Spikey needs some dating advice!" Zack finished with a grin,

"OH!" Reno nodded sagely, "Well why didn't you say so, Spikey? You've come to the right place!" Reno tossed himself on the ground on the other side of the blonde, ignoring the fact that it was he who had come to them and not vice-verse.

Cloud suddenly found himself feeling very anxious. "I'm not so sure…" He started to mumble, but both of his friends ignored his possible misgivings.

"Okay, so there are a couple of things ya gotta know about dating Cloud…" Reno began, taking off his shoes and socks as he spoke, "First, if a girl smiles at you during the beginning of the date, that means she wants a kiss later!" He gave the blonde a wink, "scary movies are great! They make the chicks wanna cling to you yo! And anytime you can find a nice crowd is great too, the more body contact the better…"

"Hey Reno…" Zack interrupted suddenly, "How come you never work?"

Reno leaned forward to stare past Cloud at the Ex-SOLDIER, "I'm Off-duty Yo!"

"You're ALWAYS off-duty!" Zack returned,

"Because I'm always OFF-duty when I'm not ON-duty!" The red-head rolled his eyes as if this should have been obvious.

"So how come you're never ON-Duty?' Zack persisted,

"There's not enough Duty to go around right now," Reno shrugged, "Tseng and Elena got it covered yo!"

"I think Tseng said something about Rufus being mad at him again…" Cloud inserted calmly.

"Wha'dya do this time?" Zack continued eagerly,

"Hey! I thought this conversation was about Cloud and Tifa!" the Turk snapped,

"I still don't know where I should take her…" Cloud muttered, both relieved they weren't arguing, but uncomfortable at the dating 'suggestions' so far.

Zack suddenly snapped his fingers, "OH! Of COURSE!! He needs to go see the Expert!" the black-haired swordsman crooned,

"Yeah! The Expert!" Reno agreed quickly, nodding eagerly with Zack for a moment before a frown suddenly fell across his face, "Wait,… I thought I WAS the expert yo!"

The ex-SOLDIER waved him off casually, "No, no… I mean THE expert!"

"Is he STILL the expert?" the Turk returned.

"Who's the expert?" Cloud interrupted curiously,

"Sephiroth of course!" Zack glibly responded,

"SEPHIROTH?" the blonde gaped,

"Well DUH!" the brunette assured,

"He's really good." The red-head added.

"He knows EVERYTHING!" Zackary bragged, "I mean… he even delivered like… 13 babies at the same time during a SNOWSTORM, and did a triple-by-pass DURING A BATTLE and crap like that!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow at the blatantly impossible feats. "But… does he even date?"

Reno snorted, "That doesn't matter yo! He's got the best advice, it's like gold! Works every time!"

Zack leapt to his feet, "C'mon! Let's take him to Seph! This is gonna require a miracle!!"

Reno laughed, grabbing up the shoes that were scattered around the pool's edge, "This should be well worth listening to yo!"

Cloud didn't know whether to be terribly unnerved, or excited when the other two started dragging him to the door, it was only when he realized that they intended to make the trip still barefooted that he started protesting.


	6. Curtain Call

Vincent looked down at the handlebars grasped tightly in his right hand

No Longer A Memory! – Chapter 6: Curtain Call.

Chapter Summary: More plans are made, and some plots fulfilled, but nothing is ever that easy.

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7. They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) amusements.

I DO however own, the revised conceptual designs for some clothing, demons, and monsters, and "Namir" completely belongs to me so no stealing…

1:58pm on that anticipated Friday Afternoon found Cloud pacing nervously in his living room. Tifa had said that she would meet him at his house where they would then proceed to the date Cloud had chosen. The blonde was wearing a button-up dress shirt, well tailored and comfortably loose but without a tie, tucked snugly into belted slacks that were also unrestricting. The entire ensemble was part of Sephiroth's suggestions. The ex-General had been very specific about appropriate attire for this event. It still felt bizarre to calmly chat with a man who's "clones" had tried to destroy the world, but Cloud found himself more and more often considering Sephiroth as a friend, even an ally.

His musings were interrupted by a rap on the door. Cloud jolted, whirling in alarm, he resisted the sudden urge to flee, the route of escape etched neatly into his mind even as he forced his feet to stay planted. He was glad he adhered to common sense when a moment later Tifa stepped through the door. She too was dressed in nice black slacks cinched neatly with a matching belt, but sported a soft blue, v-neck blouse just low enough to accentuate her neck and the soft locks of hair that brushed her shoulders. Cloud gulped, and realized he was suddenly uncertain as to the nature of his nervousness. Tifa watched him fidget and a warm smile spread across her face.

"Ready to go Cloud?" She prompted gently.

"S-sure…" Cloud tried to reciprocate the grin, "I have… uh… tickets and stuff."

"Tickets?" Tifa perked, "Where are we going?"

"We're…. ah…" Cloud hesitated as he remembered his conversation with Sephiroth, the Silver-haired counselor had also been very particular about how he was supposed to present the 'date'. "It's a surprise!" Cloud finished.

"Okay," Tifa said, raising one eyebrow slightly, but otherwise letting the subject drop. Cloud found that his smile came more naturally this time.

"We need to get going if we're going to catch our transport in time." The blonde added, offering her his arm as Sephiroth had insisted he do. Tifa obligingly laid her hand on his forearm and both of them proceeded out the door. Once outside Cloud led them to his garage, mounting his bike Fenrir, and waiting for Tifa to take her place behind him. He silently offered her the second pair of goggles Sephiroth had purchased for them, the Ex-General had assured him they would fit Tifa perfectly, and Cloud was surprised to note the man had been right, the thought was rather unnerving.

Fenrir growled to life under Cloud's hands, and with one last adjustment to the position of his goggles the blonde revved the engine and tore out of the garage with practiced ease. The purr of the bike underneath him did wonders to calm his nerves. The city streets and buildings of Edge passed by in a stream of lights and shadows, 10 minutes later, they reached their destination. Pulling into one of the parking structures of a building currently owned by the WRO. Cloud spiraled through the levels to the top, parking on the rooftop. They were alone except for one other vehicle which was sitting quietly in the middle of the concrete expanse.

"A Helicopter?" Tifa blurted in startlement, "Where are we going Cloud?"

The blonde grinned, "It's a surprise!" He repeated, starting to understand why the secrecy was so important. Tifa gawked at him for a moment before smiling and shaking her head.

"Alright Cloud, if you insist." She allowed him to lead the way to the Helicopter, looking pleasantly bemused. The smile vanished, to be replaced with surprise once more when Tseng greeted her from the pilot's seat.

"Good Evening Mr. Strife, Ms. Lockhart, I will be your pilot this evening, if there's anything you need please do not hesitate to ask." The Wutaian Turk half-bowed formally from his seat. Cloud was fully expecting a barrage of questions at this point, but he was notably shocked when Tifa simply smiled, and bowed back.

"Thank you Tseng, it's good to see you again!" She settled herself comfortably in her seat next to Cloud, Wrapping her arm around his. Without another word Tseng started the Helicopter, taking a moment to let the blades speed up and lifting off so smoothly Cloud couldn't tell they'd left the ground. The flight was uneventful, the back seat of this particular model of helicopter made it nearly impossible to see out the windshield, which was of course… perfect. Cloud was content to fidget quietly, and Tifa seemed content to just hold his arm, absently tracing circles on his wrist. They'd both lost track of time when they arrived at their destination, where even the heavily tinted side-windows of the helicopter couldn't block the blaring lights and fireworks. Tifa glanced outside and her face lit up in a beaming smile.

"Gold Saucer? How did you get tickets on such short notice?" She whirled to face him, eagerly tugging his hand even as they waited for the helicopter blades to slow.

Cloud ducked his head rubbed his nose sheepishly, "I… uh… pulled some strings…?" he answered uncertainly, he honestly had no idea how Sephiroth had gotten the tickets, but the general had deflected all of Cloud's questions concerning the matter.

Tifa laughed, shrugging off his response with a grin, "It doesn't matter, this is amazing Cloud! Where are we going first?" Heartened by her good mood, Cloud couldn't help but reciprocate her infectious smile,

"Event Square! There's supposed to be a really fun production scheduled tonight."

"Let's go then!" The brunette happily opened the door, the Helicopter had finally settled enough that the whirling blades wouldn't disturb their carefully arranged attire. Tifa took the lead this time, half-dragging the blonde behind her, laughing as they ran into the vibrant and loud building. "Race you there!" She shouted, and they dashed through the halls neatly dodging the other patrons, snickering as their superior reflexes made the normally dangerous venture a game. Weaving the crowd like experts they finally made it to the Event Square portal breathless and grinning. With a mischievous smirk Tifa ducked behind her date gleefully tossing him down the ramp into their Chosen "Square". Cloud fell with a yelp, tumbling unceremoniously through the chute and ending up splayed on his back at the bottom. A moment later Tifa came out laughing delightedly, both were chuckling as they ignored the bustling audience's nervous glances. Taking the seats designated by their tickets.

"Front row, Cloud?" Tifa nudged him conspiratorially, "I've gotta know who you mugged for these!" The blonde coughed nervously, but Tifa just shoved him playfully and gestured to the stage. "We're right on time, look! They're starting!"

And sure enough the room dimmed and the curtains rose, the announcer took to the stage and ensured them of the enthralling nature of the performance to succeed him. The actors then followed, wonderfully garbed in elaborate costumes. The story was one of a young man and his sweet-heart, the youth had decided to seek his fortune in the country, however on his trip away disaster had befallen his small town, and his bride-to-be had been carried off. Once he returned he sought after her, along his way he met a mercenary, who helped him on his quest to rescue his sweet-heart. Meanwhile at the villain's stronghold, the Son of the evil-doer had taken pity on the unfortunate young woman, and began protecting and courting the small-town damsel, slowly the two became friends and began to care for each other.

Cloud was enraptured, amazed at the quality of the acting, and the play was one he'd never seen before, the tension kept building as the story progressed, the main character learning to be brave and his mercenary companion gradually becoming a trusted comrade. The real surprise came when the two reached the villain's fortress, and it was revealed that the mercenary had been hired to kill the hero. Cloud was leaning forward in his seat rapt with attention as the climax built. But just when he was waiting to see what would happen, the actors paused, and the curtains dropped. The audience gasped in astonishment and disappointment, exclaiming loudly even as the announcer took the stage once more.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." The voice rang out, quickly hushing the crowd. "Have you enjoyed our story so far? It isn't over I promise, but this is a special story… not one for the faint of heart." Having now caught the interest of his audience the man smiled, "This story is different and unique, for it's not all pre-written and predestined, some of YOU will decide how it turns out for our heroes!" Gasps filled the hall only to fall again into silence as the Narrator raised his hand. "We have taken the liberty of selecting from among you, two ticket numbers. So if you would take a moment to check your tickets and would those with tickets 15664 and 15665 step up?" A quick scrambling and the flurry of papers was heard, and Cloud blinked several times as he tried to remember where he'd stashed his own admissions ticket. His musings were interrupted however by a startled squeak from beside him. Whirling he found Tifa staring at her ticket in amazement,

"Cloud." She breathed, turning slowly to look at him in awe, "Cloud… where's your ticket?" Fishing the item from his pocket he presented it to her, and she gave the strangest little squeal, "It's US Cloud! Let's go!" Her hand grabbed him, and with a force even he couldn't ignore she yanked him upright waving her ticket like a flag in the air. The announcer waved them to the stage with a grin, and after inquiring as to their names announced them to the rest of the crowd.

"This fortunate young couple will help give an ending to our story ladies and gentlemen! Whether it be a 'Happily Ever After' or a 'Tragedy'. So please sit tight, and enjoy the show!" As he waved his hand dramatically, the curtains rose once more, revealing the still "frozen" actors waiting for their cue. "Mr. Cloud, our first question is posed of you! … How should the Hero deal with these new revelations… should he kill the traitorous mercenary? Or perhaps convince him to be friends? Should the mercenary kill the villain first? Or should they both fall to evil's blade? The choices are endless! But the ending is truly yours…" the audience fell into a dead hush while Cloud stammered uncomfortably and scratched his chin in thought.

"Uh…" He peeped at the many faces staring at him, and somehow managed to resist the urge to cringe, "I uh… I guess…" and suddenly an idea came to him, his words coming out in a rush as he desperately tried to get the attention away from himself, "The Hero should convince the Mercenary to be friends, and they should both kill the villain." He said quickly, and almost sagged with relief when the spot-light returned to the announcer.

"What a touching plot-twist!" the man exclaimed, cheers drifted from the assembled people. "But what about our love-triangle hmmm?" The shushing sound whispered over the chamber as it quickly quieted once more. "Ms. Tifa," He turned to her, "Which of our noble men should win the girl's heart?" The martial artist smiled broadly, glancing over the various actors still on stage, but before she could speak a loud whistle pierced the air, and a whooping call echoed throughout the room.

"WHOOO!! Pick the Merc!" came a disturbingly familiar voice, though it was hard to pinpoint it's source at first.

"NO, A THREESOME!! Come ON Tifa, THREESOME!!" Another voice rang down, followed by more whistles and catcalls, and both Cloud and Tifa gawked as they finally spotted Reno and Zack waving boisterously from the doming rafters. The two crashers quickly dissolved into an argument about the pros and cons of the different men in the play, at one point even arguing that the Villain should end up with the girl. Their debate was halted suddenly as the security filed into the room, pointing and shouting at the interlopers to forfeit their position.

"Whoops! Gotta go!" Reno shouted to Zack with a laugh, scrambling spider-like through the web of broad wooden beams. The Black-haired swordsman tried to follow, but as he raced over the ceiling he lost his footing behind the agile Turk and tumbled noisily to the floor. With his SOLDIER enhancements he was far from hurt, but the Security swarmed over the intruder like angry bees.

"AH! Tifa! Cloud!" Zack cried, turning his pouting face towards the stage, "Tell them I'm with you! C'mon! Help me out!" He struggled half-heartedly with the guards, trying not to hurt them.

Cloud sighed quietly, before turning slowly to his date, but she spoke before he could. "Do you know that man Cloud?" She asked, blinking all too innocent eyes at him, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

"No… No I don't think I've seen him before Tifa." Cloud agreed, quickly catching on. He thought he should feel guilty, but this WAS Zack.

"What?" Zack's jaw dropped, and the guards took advantage of his distraction to begin dragging him away, "You can't ABANDON MEEEE!!" he wailed as he was forcibly removed from the room, "How cold! How Cruel! How…" his exaggeratedly despairing voice faded as the doors closed behind him. Reno was long gone… the Turk neatly extricating himself from the room without any help. Tifa chuckled, shaking her head at the antics of their friends, she shared a smile with Cloud while the announcer quickly regained the attention of the rest of the audience, assuring them that no further interruptions were evident. Once again the stage spotlight hovered over Tifa, and she smiled warmly at the curious faces.

"Well, … on the one hand, the Villain's Son seems quite the noble gentlemen, but he's only known the maiden for a short time. And his father couldn't have been a good influence on the boy, but he IS still her friend and that shouldn't be discounted." There were murmurs from the crowd at this, but those faded quickly, "However the Hero himself has been her friend for even longer, and although he went away he did come back. He came to rescue her, and he must be a good person to make his enemies into friends!" She waved at the mercenary, and paced the stage once as she analyzed the characters carefully. "I think the Hero should claim the girl, but the Villain's son should still be her friend, a good ear to talk to." The cheer from the crowd was a little more hesitant this time, but no less encouraged, and as the announcer ushered them back to their seats the play progressed, the talented cast ad-libbing the new story changes. The ending was touching, and thought-provoking as the group of four new friends made their way victoriously and somewhat sadly away from the Destroyed stronghold. They struggled to put their past behind them, but eventually it settled into a happy and contented ending.

Tifa and Cloud cheered enthusiastically with the rest of them, and were surprised by the congratulations and praise the rest of the audience heaped on them as they made their way from the square. It was like being celebrities Cloud decided, both embarrassed and happy. Tifa laughed as she walked with him, talking about the play and the ending they'd chosen. They picked up food at one of the many booths as they passed and munched in contented silence as they wandered the corridors.

"Cloud?" Tifa interrupted his personal musings. His gaze drifted automatically to her face, "Could we make one last stop before we go home?"

Cloud blinked once in surprise, glancing around at the various portals to different sections of the Gold Saucer's entertainments. "Where did you want to go?"

Tifa chuckled and shook her head, "Not here Cloud, it's somewhere back in Midgar… I'll show you!" The blonde thought about it for a moment as he nibbled on one of the cookies they had purchased,

"Sure… yeah we can do that if you like." He smiled at her, and she returned it. Happily grabbing his hand once she had dusted the crumbs from her own.

"C'mon then, let's go before we get tired okay?" and the Swordsman bemusedly allowed her to drag him from the boisterous halls back outside to the helicopter and it's patiently waiting Turk pilot.

--

Ethan sneezed for the fifth time since he'd begun cleaning the equipment in the Nibelheim catacombs, the Professor was engrossed in mixing chemicals on the counter against the far wall. The room was relatively large compared to the rest of the ones they'd found in the maze-like underground structure, but it had been nearly completely filled with instruments and tables. With merely two sets of giant Mako-tubes against the North wall, and one solitary counter against the East one. The Older scientist muttered now and again to himself as he carefully measured out volatile chemicals for his experiments. Several broken chips of Materia lay scattered around his workspace, some of which still shimmered a deep burgundy others had turned clear, or a generic Mako-green. Ethan jumped at every paper-shuffling noise, and moving shadow, as he tried with shaking hands to do his part. Over and over in his mind he tried to convince himself that his superior knew what he was doing and had things under control, but he'd never been a very good liar. He shivered as a draft seeped under the door, and he finally finished replacing the bolts that secured the largest tank.

"P-p… Professor?" He almost whimpered, "Can't we wait a little longer for this? Maybe do some more thorough research… I mean, what if it goes wrong? I don't think I'd know what to do!" The other man said nothing, his attention solely engrossed in his project. Gulping loudly, Ethan took a hesitant step forward. "Professor? … I… I think…" He didn't dare to touch the older man, lest he inadvertently disturb the vials the Professor held. "Um…. Professor?... Professor Sullivan?" Now fidgeting anxiously, the young assistant glanced around the room, it had originally been lit by no more than one overhead lamp, which had deteriorated until it cast a strange almost green-tinged light through the room. The two of them had set up a few enclosed gas-lamps to better illuminate their surroundings, but the oily yellow color only made the room worse. The green mixed with it to give the room a sickly pallor, one that Professor Sullivan seemed completely unaware of. Ethan simply shuddered. "Professor Sullivan?" He prompted once more, trying not to let his gaze drift to the disturbing shadows under the counter. And his attempts were rewarded by a long-suffering sigh from his partner.

"Yes Ethan?" Sullivan asked impatiently, his gaze never straying from his hands and their contents.

"Sir, … Professor,… I really don't think we should do this now. I mean… there MUST be more information we can find! We're not ready for this!" The young assistant felt his voice crack a little on those last syllables, his nervousness betraying his voice. the bigger man sighed again, and set the vials and beaker down with care before turning to face his assistant.

"Ethan, … I have no intention of researching this until I'm too old to hold these chemical's steady, we could spend all our lives just READING about it! We'll never get anywhere if we don't experiment, that's what science IS." He snorted sardonically, while rubbing at his temple with one hand. "You need to learn to put your faith in science Ethan."

"But… professor…" the youth began, glancing around the dark room, stifling a shiver. The Professor shook his head, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "This room is perfectly safe and sterilized." He growled, turning around to return his attention once more to his work. "I would not have hired you if I realized you were so… squeamish Ethan." One glance spared over his shoulder revealed the younger scientist ducking his head shamefully.

"I'm… I'm not sir…" he mumbled.

Sullivan nodded, "Then please finish prepping that tank, we're ready for the Mako infusions." Ethan complied sullenly, flipping switches and double-checking the pipes they'd pain-staking re-routed to the village's water sources. There was no way they could trust the plumbing already in place in the abandoned rooms. There was no telling what could have happened to the decrepit pipes during their long disuse. So the new pipes and filters had been a must. Clean water poured into the enormous glass cylinder, the front panel lighting up with statistics and readings. Ethan refused to turn away from the small screen, knowing without seeing that the pale-blue light from the computer would not help the lighting in the room in the least. Professor Sullivan joined him after a moment carrying a small sealed vial of dark purplish fluid. This was placed in one of many receptacles and then drained into the filling tank. Yet another faint hue of light was added to the room, the lavender color of the backlit Mako Tank flickering over the two scientist's face. Ethan struggled to keep himself from shaking, the feeling that there was something horribly wrong was getting stronger, and his shoulders were beginning to itch, a sensation similar to the 6th sense of "being watched".

"Professor?" The young assistant half-whispered, "You said Demons are incorporeal correct?" Sullivan, barely taking note of his assistant as he gathered a beaker filled with wine-colored materia chips and Mako, grunted affirmatively. "Are you sure they can't… y'know… hurt us somehow?"

"They are incapable of affecting this realm." The Professor muttered, pouring his Materia-Mako solution into a small metal bowl, which was already placed over a hot burner. "The only way a spiritual being can interfere in the physical world is when it has been fused with the life-stream and become Crystallized Mako… a substance we refer to as 'Materia'. Even then… the creatures contained in such a manner are completely under human control." Sullivan might have continued on this vein, reciting text-book like knowledge by rote had Ethan not hastily interrupted him.

"I know all that Professor… but we're using broken, and perhaps unstable Materia, incomplete samples and even raw Mako… are you sure the demons are still contained?"

The older man slowly turned, the metal bowl containing now liquidized red-materia fragments held with metal tongs. He smiled slowly, "We'll just have to find out, now won't we Ethan?" Without another word he poured the new mixture into a receptacle on the side of the Tank. The water inside instantly took on a cloudy, crimson-colored appearance. Ethan paled, stumbling backwards from the angrily swirling concoction. "Beautiful, isn't it?" the Professor gazed in quiet awe, his face given an almost unholy cast from the lighting. The young assistant said nothing, his mouth had gone dry, and the room tilted every so slightly. "It's time for me to take the plunge…" Sullivan chuckled at his own pun, ignoring the terrified expression on the youth's face. "Watch my back Ethan."

The boy stretched forward a hand, trying desperately to stop his partner, his mouth opened but no sound was forth coming. It was all he could do not to faint on the ground as Professor Darcy Sullivan climbed to the top of the tank and opened the chute to immerse himself in the strange fluids inside.

--

Cloud surveyed the derelict building before him. A cracked brick facade with boarded windows greeted him, and Cloud wondered how many years it had been since the building had last been occupied.

"Come on, Cloud." Tifa called out as she walked towards the structure. He followed, curiously contemplating what his childhood friend could desire from such a forsaken place. It certainly wasn't what he'd had in mind for the finale of their date… She walked through the front door, pushing aside a small sign labeled "condemned." 

"Um, Tifa?" Cloud called nervously upon entering the threshold. "Are you sure we're allowed to be here?" The swordsman glanced around anxiously, taking in the dusty dry air, tasting the scent of old wood and cobwebs, and growing more clueless as to the reason for their visit.

"Don't worry Cloud," the martial artist reassured. "I got permission." A sharp snapping noise punctuated her sentence, and Cloud looked quickly in her direction to find she was donning a pair of her fighting gloves, snapping the leather against her wrist like a surgeon ready to operate. Cloud tensed backwards a few inches, remembering the incident that led to their date. Quickly he glanced at Tifa's face for any hint of anger, but found instead a simple smile. A knot began forming in Cloud's stomach, and he suddenly found himself wishing she wasn't smiling, it was somehow more unnerving in their current situation than her being angry.

"Um, Tifa… I thought we were past this when I asked you out… I can ask you out again if you want. You don't have to pummel me every time you want a date… okay?" Cloud gulped, Tifa's smile just widened.

"This isn't about dates Cloud." Tifa began softly. "And I'm not going to beat you up this time…"

"You're … not?" Cloud replied skeptically, watching as his friend settled herself into a fighting stance.

"No I'm not… because this time…" She smiled a very large and mischievous smile. "This time you're going to fight back."

"Wha…" Cloud began to say, but was cut off as he barely dodged a light jab from the dexterous martial artist before him. The so called ex-SOLDIER ducked, dodged, and spun out of the way of a series of light punches and kicks. He could tell Tifa was not trying to hit him, not yet anyways.

"Come on Cloud, You can do better that this!" the swordsman's opponent taunted between quick jabs. "How many years in the military did you fight and spar with your buddies for fun or for practice?" Tifa then launched herself in the air, throwing punches and kicks down at Cloud so quick that he was forced to block rather than dodge.

The swordsman immediately thought back to the very training Tifa had mentioned, when he was first learning how to fight. Cloud had indeed learned to fight unarmed before the military trained him with other weapons. He deflected a few more kicks. Seeing his long-time friend in a way he never had before. Cloud thought not about how Tifa's abilities could be used to help him in battle, which was the way he usually regarded her fighting skills, but rather, he now considered how to get around the martial artist's nearly perfected offensive style. As his old training came back to him, he realized that to truly protect himself, he would need to put his opponent on the defensive.

Cloud launched a light punch, not hard enough to do damage, but hoping to force a parry. Tifa was behind him before Cloud had even finished. Pain exploded through his side as a booted kick launched him across the main room and towards the far wall. His mind took assessment of the situation just quick enough for Cloud to close his eyes before his face crashed through the drywall and into a forsaken desk in the room beyond.

"You call that a punch Cloud?" The voice came tauntingly from above him. The Swordsman threw himself to the side, rolling to his feet just before the ceiling exploded and Tifa's heel came down hard on the spot he had previously been occupying.

For a moment, time seemed to slow down, almost stopping. Tifa was before him in a crouched position, smiling up at him, surrounded by the suspended debris of the platform she had destroyed in her descent. Cloud's eyes locked with Tifa's and in that small instant where time doesn't move he remembered who she was. This was his childhood friend who he had promised to be there for all those years ago sitting at the well. This was the fighter who fought along side him against evil powers beyond most mortal's imaginations. This was the woman who had rescued him from the dementia of his own altered memories, pulling him from the pits of madness that Hojo's experiments had buried him in.

The moment was gone, and time flowed normally once again. Tifa was on the offensive in less than a heartbeat, but this time, Cloud was fighting back. The sound of battle echoed throughout the abandoned structure, providing a fast paced percussion any drummer would envy. Time and time again the two combatants flew apart, and came back together. Punches and kicks were dodged or diverted, and the building was quickly disintegrated. While both exchanged blows that would decimate a lesser opponent, neither Cloud nor Tifa took another serious hit. They were not holding back, but neither were they going for the kill. There were no finishing moves, no low blows designed to cause pain and weaken one's opponent. Both of them knew the unspoken rule of martial arts, of nature itself. Like lion cubs that fought without baring their claws, or like the young wolves who chased and tackled each other without drawing blood, so Cloud and Tifa exchanged blows without causing harm, fighting for the sport and joy of fighting.

This was not a fight. This was a game. This was … a _dance_.

"Why are we doing this?" Cloud said calmly, twisting to the side of Tifa's punch while launching an attack of his own which she neatly dodged.

"A friend of mine clued me in to something…" Tifa blocked a frontal attack, skidding back several feet in the process, before responding with mid-air scissor kick of her own. "… something I never realized about you before."

"And what was that" Cloud said between a series of strategic punches designed to force back his opponent.

"You think best, most clearly…" she broke away from Cloud's offensive, grabbing his extended arm and pulling him back towards her. "…when you are fighting." using her weight and his momentum, Tifa fell to the floor, rocking back and pulling Cloud on top of her, before kicking up hard into her partner's abdomen, rocketing him into the air. "When you have nothing to fight, you lose your confidence and forget what you really want."

Cloud had caught himself on a nearby pillar, swinging his weight around it and returning to the waiting fray. "What is it you think I want?" Cloud asked, his fist sailing in her direction.

Tifa tried to throw her partner again, but this time, Cloud was ready, and caught Tifa around the waist to reverse the outcome of the throw. Tifa sensed the shift in weight, and responded immediately to avoid being pinned. Planting her feet beneath her and catching Cloud under the arm-pit, she launched the two of them skyward. They exchanged holds and grapples in mid air faster than most eyes could track, both of them refusing to forfeit the upper-hand when once again the ground met them.

Cloud landed hard on his back, Tifa sitting squarely across his chest in a pin position. But both of Tifa's wrists were locked firmly in Cloud's iron grasp… It was an impasse.

They breathed hard together, and for many moments neither of them spoke. Cloud looked up at the woman on top of him, feeling himself submerge in the deep liquid brown eyes that returned his gaze. "So… Tifa…" he said between breaths. "What was it… you wanted me … to think clearly about?"

Tifa did not respond right away, taking a few moments to calm her breathing, before leaning down and talking delicately in Cloud's ear. "Tell me… How do you really feel about me?" She sat up slowly, looking at Cloud's reaction, watching the thoughts swim behind his Mako-green eyes. She released Cloud from her pin and stood up, offering her gloved hand to the man who lay on the floor before her.

Cloud's thought's raced. All the jagged puzzle pieces of his life flashed before his eyes. Tifa was a part of so many of them, but in all these years of struggling to put them together he had not produced as clear a picture as he did now. She had been right, he realized. He had spent so many years fighting… He looked up at Tifa, her hand extended to him, and knew the answer to her question.

Cloud reached up and took the hand of his childhood friend, letting her help him up with her strength. As he stood, he kept her hand, and pulled her in close to him, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Without another word between them, as naturally as they had fought, they kissed. And somewhere in the distance, echoing across the city and penetrating the shattered remains of the old condemned building, a clock tower chimed.

--

Black coat flapping loudly with his momentum Sephiroth bolted towards his target, a whole nest of hippogrif's had been harassing the residents of Mideel for the last few weeks, and some of the towns people had finally taken the initiative to call out for help. The Masamune sliced through the neck of one monster, catching for just a moment on the rock beneath it. A loud shot rang out and a flurry of feathers rained on the swordsman as his partner took out another creature that had thought to blind-side him.

"So this 'Shelke' person…" Sephiroth called, as he whirled to face yet another foe, there didn't seem to be any end to the crush of bodies, and he grunted as he had to lever one particularly ardent attacker off him with the flat of his blade before running it's brother through the heart. "She knows all of Lucretia's research?"

"Something along those lines…" came the response from the other end of the clearing, though Vincent never seemed to raise his voice, Sephiroth could hear it despite the raucous noise from their dozens of opponents.

"And she would be willing to talk to me?" Sephiroth growled as he tried to fight his way past the press of frenzied half-avians.

"Perhaps."

"Where does she live anyways?"

"She usually works with the WRO." Vincent said calmly, the gunshots were ringing out more and more frequently now, proving Sephiroth's theory that the monsters were trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

"That's not exactly what I asked…" the Ex-General was actually starting to sweat, though whether that was from exertion, or just the massive amount of living beings crammed into one space, he couldn't be certain.

"…" came the predictable reply.

"When are we going to visit then?" The Silver-haired man huffed, grimacing at the blood that was determinedly coating his attire, it was going to be a nightmare to clean this mess.

"She asked us to come next Monday." A pause in the barrage of noise from the Cerberus told Sephiroth that his black-haired counterpart was reloading. The triumphant cry from the Hippogrif's was short-lived however when Vincent quickly returned to the slaughtering of the beasts.

"When did she say that?" Sephiroth returned, his breathing was finally picking up, this wasn't a half-bad workout!

"When I called her this morning…"

The Ex-General fell silent for a moment, reveling in the instinctive motions of his body as he danced around the crazed monsters. He had not been aware of any phone-call made by Vincent at any time during the day, and he was surprised to realize that unnerved him, but the reaction was quickly shrugged off as he fluidly made his way closer to his roommate. "Where will we be meeting her then?"

"…" the gunman hesitated, his gun pausing in it's methodical butchering, Sephiroth hued down two more of the massive beasts before sparing a glance to the trees where he knew his Raven-haired companion hovered. "… Midgar." The half-whispered response came, almost drowned out by the shrieks of the bird-horses. Sephiroth laughed aloud, as he continued his appointed task, and the crack of exploding gunpowder pierced the air once more.

"This should be fun then!" He cried, ignoring the spray of steaming blood from his latest victim, even as it drenched the leg of his pants. He could almost feel Vincent's answering smirk, and he sneered as he drove his sword home into the skull of one more ravenous creature.

--

(( Author's Note: Though I'm great at violence and humor, I'm not very skilled yet at romance, so the Cloud/Tifa fight scene was written by my older brother AmascusMage, ( Author # 1362661 ) the Gold Saucer play was also his suggestion. So all praise for that rightly belongs to him. … the actual writing of the play itself and the rest of the story is still mine though. :3 ))


	7. New Aquaintances

No Longer A Memory! – Chapter 7: New Aquaintances.

Chapter Summary: Introductions were long overdue, plans never go as they should…

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7. They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) amusements.

I DO however own, the revised conceptual designs for some clothing, demons, and monsters, and "Namir" completely belongs to me so no stealing…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The rest of the week passed uneventfully for Sephiroth as he anticipated his strange appointment on "Monday". As Sephiroth and his partner Vincent Valentine rode their twin black motorcycles through the streets of the once great city of Midgar, the silver-haired Ex-General couldn't help but reflect on how far it had fallen. The once "invincible" city lay desolate, the uninhabitable buildings slowly rotting with time. So much had been destroyed, even the city of "Edge" was sparsely inhabited. It was eerily quiet aside from the growl of their bike engines, and as the dust whipped up behind them, Sephiroth couldn't help but wonder once again why they were meeting someone here. Vincent, who was leading the way, finally slowed, parking his bike in front of what used to be a store. The windows were boarded and blackened, but the sturdy structure had survived the damage around it, and Sephiroth could discern a subtle lighting from under the door.

He followed his raven-haired companion leisurely through the entryway. The interior was dim, but well enough lit for comfort. Whatever store it had once been was impossible to tell, the inside had been gutted, and now there were desks, chairs, and computers set up around the spacious room. A few of the lights overhead were broken, which is what dimmed the room. Sephiroth's brow furrowed as he glanced around.

"What is this place?" He murmured, it was maintained, and had power, even though it was practically in the middle of Midgar.

"A WRO outpost." Vincent supplied softly, "It's not used all that frequently."

Sephiroth nodded silently, his gaze quickly flicked back to the middle of the room when he spotted movement. Slitted Green eyes widened and Sephiroth had to consciously keep his mouth closed. Gaping was not a respectable first impression. Walking between the desks towards them was a very slender young girl. No more than a child really. Sephiroth frowned, tossing a quick look at Vincent, who had just the corner of his lips quirked in a 'smirk'. Sephiroth glanced back at the girl, who had paused and was eyeing him nonchalantly.

"Sephiroth, this is Shelke." Vincent said quietly, the barest hint of amusement flickering in his red eyes, "Shelke, this is Sephiroth."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Shelke," Sephiroth bowed slightly, this child was the one they were looking for? There must be some mistake! He rose and glanced at her expectantly, confused when she did not return his greeting. For several moments the silence stretched, before she finally turned her own head and frowned at the tall silver-haired man.

"I want to hug you." The words were strangely inflectionless, as though she were stating scientific data.

Sephiroth blinked several times, slowly raising one eyebrow, he hadn't thought he was particularly cuddly looking or anything,… "Okay, that's kind of…"

"Strange? … yes." Shelke finished for him. He fell silent once more, sparing another glance at his partner. Shelke's gaze followed his, flitting to rest on Vincent before slowly moving back to Sephiroth. "What did Vincent wish to speak to me about?"

Sephiroth found himself frowning again, "I'm certain Vincent can tell you."

"Yes,… but I suspect you will explain it more efficiently."

Sephiroth couldn't help but chuckle, Vincent shuffled silently in place, Shelke seemed to know him rather well.

"Vincent?" Sephiroth turned to face the quiet gunman, gesturing to the silver-gauntlet he wore, "Would you mind if I explained?"

Vincent shook his head, and proceeded to remove the metal glove. Sephiroth stepped up next to him and when both gauntlet and the leather glove underneath had been stripped off he gently grabbed the demonic arm and stretched it forward for Shelke to see. Sephiroth first gestured to the jagged wrap-around scar.

"According to Vincent, this is where his arm was grafted." Sephiroth moved his finger up to the fresher white-grey slash higher up on the forearm. "This is the scar he received in his motorcycle accident when I met him." His hand continued higher still to the edge of the blue-grey skin and fur, "This is how far his taint has spread since that time." Sephiroth glanced back at Shelke, releasing Vincent's arm entirely, "Vincent told me you would know something of my Mo… I mean, … Lucretia's research."

"I have complete data files on the work of Doctor Lucretia Crescent." Shelke supplied, "Vincent is aware of this."

Sephiroth had to pause again, her monotonous responses took some getting used to, "So, … is there any speculation on why his taint would be spreading? … The rate seems to be increasing from what I can tell."

Instead of moving to a computer, as Sephiroth half expected her to do… The young girl's gaze dropped her eyes unfocusing as she thought, "Are there any other symptoms besides the increased quantity of demon flesh?"

"The demons Vincent … ah… houses, are becoming harder to control, they find escape more frequently." Sephiroth supplied, Vincent continued to remain silent, though he had replaced his glove and gauntlet.

Shelke hesitated again, "According to Lucretia's notes, she believed that the Proto Materia would make Vincent fully capable of controlling his demons,…"

"Speaking of demons…" Sephiroth muttered, "He has a new one, … there are five of them now."

Shelke's blue eyes flitted hastily to Sephiroth's green ones, "A new one? … does this… new demon, have a name?"

"Namir." The Ex-General watched wordlessly as the child drifted into her musings once more. Though she looked no older than 10, she certainly did not act her age, if he hadn't already known better, Sephiroth might have thought she was an android or something.

"Namir…" Shelke frowned, "Lucretia did mention a Namir in her research … but all she said was that the secrets behind the Proto Materia died with him." Now it was Sephiroth's turn to frown, _had she memorized his mother's notes or something?_

However, this time, Vincent spoke first, "Is it possible that the Namir Lucretia spoke of, and the one trapped within me, are the same?"

Sephiroth sighed and chuckled, "This is just so weird." He muttered, "How does she know so much?" the other two paused, giving him nearly identical silent looks. The Ex-SOLDIER simply snickered,

At first Shelke said nothing, her impassive gaze flicked to Vincent, "Can he be trusted?" She said simply, Vincent nodded. Sephiroth blinked, _it was a secret?_ Then the girl glanced back at him, "I possess the research and memories of Doctor Lucretia Crescent, the information was uploaded to my neural network so that I would be capable of accomplishing my mission directives for Project Deep Ground."

The room fell into silence once more, Sephiroth digesting the information, and Shelke and Vincent waiting for his response. "… Research AND Memories??" Sephiroth said softly,

"Yes… It is her Memories that instill in me the desire to hug you. She always thought of you as her son, no matter what had happened." Now it was Shelke's turn to frown, her eyes darting back to the floor.

"Ah." Sephiroth looked at her for a few more moments, "Well… um… I suppose I don't mind if you hug me." The Ex-General resisted the urge to scratch at the back of his head, like Zack was fond of doing.

Shelke looked up, sighing softly, "This is awkward." She said simply, Sephiroth had to agree, finding a child who harbored mothering instincts towards him wasn't exactly what he'd envisioned for his day. "Maybe some other time." Shelke decided finally, Sephiroth stifled a sigh of relief. Awkward didn't describe the half of it.

Vincent's soft throat clearing caught their attention, and somehow managed to relieve the strain that had fallen. "Shelke, do you have any suggestions?" Vincent murmured from behind his cloak.

Shelke nodded, "Keep me updated on anything this Namir says, I will head back home and see if there's any information I missed in Lucretia's Journals."

Vincent and Sephiroth both nodded, Sephiroth paused as another thought occurred to him, "What if we need to contact you?"

"Vincent knows how to find me." Was Shelke's simple reply. "I'll be in Nibelheim if anything comes up." Then she turned and strode back through the tables, her short form quickly disappearing behind the furniture. Just like that Vincent turned and started back towards the door they had come through.

"It was a pleasure speaking to you Shelke," Sephiroth called after the young girl, rolling his eyes and smiling at the two introverts. "Thanks." Then with a chuckle he followed his partner, "you have some strange friends Valentine." He didn't miss the slight quirk of Vincent's lips, and Sephiroth was laughing when the reached their motorcycles.

--------------------------

Ethan nearly gagged, trying to breath through his nose, but his panting didn't allow for it. Professor Sullivan's breath was rancid, the older man wheezed raggedly as Ethan tried to carry him through the Shinra mansion. The process was agonizingly slow, step by step as he half-dragged his cohort through the dilapidated building. The smell coming from the scientist made Ethan's eyes water, but Sullivan's sickly pale skin and sweat-covered brow kept him going.

The experiment had been a disaster! As soon as Professor Sullivan had started thrashing and screaming in his tank Ethan new it had gone all wrong. There had been nothing he could do but watch, all the research had said that ending the experiment halfway through resulted in instant death. Ethan had watched in terror as the convulsions had slowed and eventually stopped. It was the best he could do to drag Darcy from the tank, but the professor hadn't woken. His leaden weight was quickly tiring the young assistant out as he slowly made his way up the steep steps, leading up from the basement. He was shaking and exhausted by the time he reached the main room. The few monsters that still wandered the building had run and shied from the acrid scent of Mako. Or perhaps it was something else that drove them away, either way Ethan was grateful, he had neither the energy nor the free hands to drive the beasts from him at the moment. A few more sluggish dragging steps and he made it to one of the bedrooms.

It took three tries before Ethan managed to deposit his employer on the bed, then he had to pause and take gulping breaths, slowly sinking down next to the unconscious professor. Wiping sweat from his brow he gazed around, thankfully they'd cleaned out this room before, in case either of them had time to truly rest. As he watched the Labored breathing of his superior, Ethan felt his heart sink. What would he do if Professor Sullivan died here? While the older man had never been exactly kind, he had given Ethan a job, and when it was important, he listened to the younger man's ideas. Ethan choked, and wiped at his suddenly stinging eyes. Forcing his tired body to stand he scrounged up blankets and water, dutifully caring for his partner.

As the hours bled into each other, and Darcy did not wake, Ethan worried, but at least the Professor continued to breath. When the hours became a day, and then two, Ethan began to panic. He tried to keep the older scientist cool when he was feverish, warm when he was cold. But with the raspy breathing he was having a difficult time administering water, and the unconscious man was incapable of eating.

On the Third day of watching, the professor finally moved. Ethan had drifted into a slight doze at Darcy's bedside, when the shifting of sheets and blankets woke him.

"Professor?" Ethan gulped, half expecting it to be a dream.

"Ethan…" Came the raspy reply, Ethan jumped up immediately, fetching the water he'd been trying to give his 'patient' with little success. Professor Sullivan drank without comment, laying still for a few moments as his body processed the liquid. Finally his eyes opened once more. "Ethan… the experiment… What happened?"

Ethan blinked twice, "You don't remember Professor?"

"I would not ask if I did." The man weakly growled,

For a moment the young assistant was silent, and then with a heavy sigh he related the catastrophic events from three nights ago. "You went into convulsions… Clawing at yourself, pounding the sides of the tank… and you were screaming, like you were in pain. You were choking! … I thought you were going to die!" The young man ran his hands over his face as he spoke,

"How many hours have I been out?" Darcy interrupted,

"Hours sir? ... It's been days…" Ethan half-mumbled,

Finally the Professor paused, "Days?"

"Yes Professor, it has been days."

Sullivan drifted into thought, his eyes staring unseeing at the ceiling.

Ethan waited, but when it didn't seem like the older scientist was going to speak he cleared his throat softly. "Um…. Professor? … We've just about run out of food here, I was hoping to try and move you to the Nibelheim Inn, … I could get you fresh meals and a hot bath… and…"

Darcy snorted, "Do I look like I need a hot bath?"

Ethan ducked his head, but with the nearly incapacitated man he felt a bit bolder, "… Um… In my professional opinion sir, … yes."

Professor Sullivan hesitated and then chuckled darkly under his breath, "Alright, fine." With some effort he sat up, his eyes widening as he swayed. "Looks like you'll need to help me." He admitted unhappily.

Ethan repressed a sigh of relief as he jumped up to support the older man. The two of them staggered slowly from the room.

--------------------------


End file.
